Ball game



M. CARDOZA Jux le 23, 1-925.

BALL GAME Filed July 2 1924 Patented June 23, 1925.

UNITED STATES MATTHEW CARDOZA, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

BALL GAME.

Application filed Jul as, 1924. Serial No. 728,790.

T 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ,MATTHEW GARDozA, a citizen of Portugal, and residing at New Bedford, county of Bristol, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Ball Games, of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates in general to games and more particularly to games intended especially to amuse children although the apparatus may be made of such size as to afford-considerable exercise. Broadly the game includes a device wherein a ball or marble is manually propelled along an alley to strike a pivotally mounted arm, carrying on the shaft thereof a pointer so that, as the shaft is rotated, by the ball striking the arm, the pointer comes to rest above a number, serving to indicate the score obtained by the player rolling the ball, and in which means are provided to return the ball to. substantially the starting point.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a novel form of ball game.

It is a particular object of this invention to provide in a ball game, a circular platform having pivotally mounted above it a plurality of radiating arms adapted to be struck and rotated by the ball, carrying on the pivot a pointer cooperating with a series of spaced numbers arranged on the wall of the platform.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel and improved form of ball game having an inclined alley substantially returned upon itself with the scoring apparatus adjacent the player, and with means to return the balls to the starting point.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide in a ball game an inclined alley along which the ball is projected, the alley returning substantially upon itself and being provided with means to prevent the ball from returning in the same direction it is projected.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a ball game constructed according to this invention,

Figure 2 is a section partially in elevation on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a detailed vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1..

In the drawings are disclosed the three essential parts of the apparatus including the balls along the alley.

alley, 10, the ring platform 11 and the ball return tunnel 12. This game apparatus is adapted to be made in any suitable size, the smaller sizes being adapted to be used with marbles and played upon a table or the floor, whereas the larger sizes are adapted to be used with balls similar to those, used in the game of duck pins, and may be made of a substantial size and mounted upon the floor, the player standing to project the The alley is formed with two run-Ways 13 and 14, the run-way. 13 having its lower or starting end 15 elevated asubstantial distance above the surface upon which the game is supported by means of the framework 16, and inclined upwardly to a point 17 substantially twice the elevation of the starting point where the run-wayv 14 joins the run-way 13 at an acute angle. The runway 13 is provided with the horizontal sides 18 converging toward the upper end as shown, and the run-way 14 is provided with the horizontal sides 19 converging toward the ring platform. The end wall 20 closes the meeting ends of the two run-ways. The floor of the run-way 13 is elevated slightly above the floor of the run-way 14 and is cut off at right angles to the surface of the runway 13 at an obtuse angle to the inner side 18 to provide what may be called a step, best shown in Figure 3, in order to prevent the ball or marble returning to the starting place after it has been projected against the end 20; The run-way 14 is inclined downwardly from the end 20 to the point 21 where it enters the ring at an elevation substantially the same as the starting point 15 of the runway 13 and its side walls converge toward this point.

The platform 22 is circular in shape and of a suitable diameter commensurate with the size of the balls or marbles to be used. The upper surface of the platform is flat and elevated above the supporting surface by means of the feet 23 to the level of the lower end 21 of the fioor of the run-way 14. The platform 22 is surrounded by the wall or ring 24 of any suitable height fastened thereto by screws or nails as shown at 25.

The run-way 14 of the alley passes through the wall 24 and enters on to the surface of the circular platform 22 on an extension of a chord of the circle and on the far side of the center thereof from the starting point 15 of the alley. The floor iii) of the platform 22 is-provided with a groove 26 substantially the width of the entering portion of the run-way 14: and increasing in depth from the point 21 toits end 27 where it joins the vertical opening 28, passing clear through the platform and allowing the ball to drop out into the tunnel 29 which may be formed either ofwood or sheet metal, and which connects the opening 28 with a point closelyadjacent the starting point 15 of the alley. This tunnel is tened to the under side of the platform 22 and its lower surface is inclined toward the starting point 15 in order that the balls dropping through the opening 28 may roll down this inclined surface and stop against theend wall 30 of the tunnel in order to retain them in aconvenient position for access by the player.

Centrally of the platform 22, there is provided the vertical hole 31 covered at its lower end by the metallic plate 32 fastened to the under side of the platform by the screws 33. A guide bar-3a is arranged diametrically of the ring 24 and supported adjacent its upper edge, being provided at its center with a hole 35 reinforced by the metal washer 36, and is substantially the same'diameter as the hole 31 in the platform which is reinforced at its upper end by the metallic washer 37 fastened to the upper surface of the platform. The pivot 38, formed of any suitable material, and having a sharp conical point 38 is adapted to be rotatably mounted in the openings 31 and 35, the sharpened point 38 thereof resting against the plate 32 and forming a thrust bearing having but little friction. The upper end of the pivot 88 is reduced and threaded as shown at 39 and over this reduced end is fastened the horizontal portion 40 of the pointer, whichis held in position by means of the spherical nut Ti screwed on the reduced portion 39 of the plvot. The portion 40 of the pointer extends horizontally to a point substantially over the ring 24: where it is bent downward and sharpened as shown at 42 in order to cooperate with an annulus 43 mounted upon the upper edge of the ring 2iand divided by the radial lines 4 1 into any suitable number of parts, shown in the drawings as fifteen, provided with the indicia, here shown as the numbers 1 to 15 respectively, indiscriminate arranged between the dividing lines A l.

-The pivot 38 is adapted to be rotated by the balls rolling down the run-way liand through the groove 26 and for this purpose the pivot'is provided with a number of radiating arms 45 formed of metal rods or of any other suitable material substantially fastened-within the pivot and positioned a distance above'the floor of the platform "22, substantially equivalent to one-half of the diameter of the balls used in playing the game. These arms extend almost to the wall 28 and it will be noted that at least four of them will be used in order that one arm will always project over the groove 26 in position to be struck by a ball passing along the groove in order to rotate the pivot and allow the pointer to finally come to rest above one of the numbers on the annulus 4-3, thus serving to indicate the score obtained by the player each time a ball is rolled.

In order to prevent the balls inadvertently jumping from the groove 26 and following one of the arms around and thus failing to drop through the opening 28, there is provided the guard rail or rod 4-6 positioned slightly above the, arms 45 and paralleling the groove 26 and between it and the pivot. This rod or rail may be formed of any suitable material and supported from the ring 24 or it may-be bent from wire or metal rod in the form of an elongated inverted U with the arms thereof supported in the platform 22. To prevent the balls getting between the groove 26 and the outer wall of the platform, a baffle 4:? formed of wood is fastened against the upper surface of the platform 22, having the arcuate enter \*all as resting against'the inner surface of the ring 2% and the arcuate inner wall 49, serving to guide the balls. This bafile is of a height substantially greater than the distance the arms to are mounted above the surface of the platform, and the ends of the arms 45 pass closely along the arcuate wall 49 of this baffle.

The preferred manner of playing the game consists in allowing each player to roll thirty-two balls, and when two or more players are playing the game they may roll alternately, each one marking down, after each play, the number indicated by the pointer, and at the end of the game the one having the largest total score obtained by adding up the numbers from the various plays is considered the winner. It is of course only necessary to have one or two balls, since the player stands close to the lower closing wall 30 of the tunnel, and the balls return within easy reach after each play. Considerable skill is necessary in order to obtain a large score, and owing to the fact that the ring platform is adjacent the player, he can always observe the position of one of the arms 45 in respect to the groove 26 and calculate the necessary speed with which to project the ball up the alley in order that it may bounce off of the end wall 20 and strike one of the arms 45 with the-necessary force to rotate the pivot and its supported parts to bring the pointer above one of the larger numbers, thus increasing his score'morerapidly. Of course this manner of playingthe game is merely suggested, as a number of variations of the same will suggest themselves to the players.

There has been disclosed in this specification but one embodiment of the invention, but it is obvious that the invention may take a number of forms, and it is intended that it shall be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a game apparatus in combination a platform, a pivot mounted thereon, radial arms on said pivot above the surface of said platform, an enclosin wall adjacent the ends of said arms and means to project a ball thru said wall and along the surface of said platform to strike said arms and rotate said pivot.

2. In a game apparatus in combination a circular platform, a wall around the edge thereof, a pivot centrally mounted in said platform, radial arms on said pivot above said platform, a groove in the surface of said platform, gravity means to project a ball along said groove to strike said arms and rotate said pivot, indicia on the top of said wall and a pointer on said pivot to cooperate with said indicia.

3. In a game apparatus in combination a circular platform, an upstanding wall around the edge thereof, a pivot centrally mounted in said platform, radial arms on said pivot above said platform, a chordial groove in the surface of said platform, an opening through said platform 'at one end of said groove, an inclined ball return tunnel beneath said platform to which said opening leads and means to project a ball along said groove and into said opening.

4. In a game apparatus, in combination .a circular platform, an upstanding wall around the edge thereof, a pivot centrally mounted in said platform, radial arms on said pivot above said platform, a chordial guide above said arms, an inclined ball rezturn tunnel beneath said platform, an openling through said platform at one end of said guide communicating with said tunnel, an

opening in said wall at theopposite end of said guide, and an upwardly inclined alley leading from said opening in said wall.

5. In a game apparatus, in combination a ball operated scoring device, an alley leading to said device and including a starting point, an upwardly inclined run-way, a step,

* and a downwardly inclined run-way joining said upwardly inclined run-way at an acute angle near said step whereby the starting point is adjacent said scoring device.

6. In a game apparatus, in combination, a ball operated scoring device, an alley along which a ball is adapted to be manually projected to operate said scoring device, said alley inclining upwardly from a starting point, being returned downwardly at an acute angle to said scoring device, an inclined ball return tunnel beneath said scoring device, the lower end of said tunnel being closely adjacent said starting point.

7. In a game apparatus, in combination, an elevated circular platform, an upstanding wall around said platform, an annulus mounted on the upper edge of said wall, scoring indicia on said annulus, a pivot centrally mounted in said platform and supported from said wall, radial arms extending from said pivot above said platform, a chordial groove in said platform, a guide rail paralleling said groove above said arms, an inclined ball return tunnel beneath said platform, an opening through said platform connecting one end of said groove with the upper end of said tunnel, an opening in said wall at the opposite end of said groove, an alley inclined upwardly from said opening, a second alley joining said first alley at an acute angle and having stepped communication therewith, said second alley inclining downwardly from said first alley to an elevated position adjacent the opposite end of said tunnel.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

MATTHEW OARDOZA.

mark

Witnesses:

MARY COSTA, JAMES P. DORAN. 

